Blindsided
by IBelieveInMerDer
Summary: Growing up in Capeview Creek, Derek and Meredith were the best of friends, but they were bound for different things. When they find their way back to each other, a huge life changing decision eventually makes them realise that friendship was just the beginning!
1. Chapter 1

**Blindsided**

"It's freezing Derek let's go" Meredith moaned as she wrapped her arms tightly around her body rubbing them vigorously up and down trying desperately to encapsulate herself and secure some body heat. The sun was setting over the creek as it always did around this time and Meredith was now very aware of her lateness. Her mother hated it when she was late for dinner. Being a doctor, Meredith's mother had very little time, or interest, in family dinners so when she did make it home from the hospital she expected full attendance from her daughters and husband, even their dog was expected at dinner. Meredith's younger sister, Lexie, was of course always on time, ensuring her ranking as the 'favourite daughter', as Meredith so frequently called her. While they were indeed sisters, they could not be any different if they tried. Meredith was a rebel, a force to be reckoned with, while Lexie was the complete opposite, pleasant and always willing to please. Their father was a quite man, very reserved, yet caring and Meredith always wondered what attracted him to such a cold hearted woman such as Ellis Grey - an all round BITCH!

Meredith liked to find solace down by the harbour with her best friend - Derek Shepherd. Now that summer was coming to a close, he and Meredith were spending every waking minute together. Soon both would be parting ways as Derek was going to NYU's School of Medicine while Meredith had chosen a more simpler route - education in Dartmouth.

"I'm nearly ready" he called from the boat's deck "hand me those boxes will you"

Meredith looked towards her feet and saw the two boxes of, what can only be described as a box of fish guts, waiting to be boarded.

"You must be joking" she laughed "I am NOT touching that!"

Derek sighed and jumped out from the boat's hull. He scooped up the boxes, one in each hand and threw them onto the ship effortlessly.

"Baby" he teased before flashing his signature smile.

Derek was seen as one of the town's hotties, but Meredith could never look at him in that way. He would always be the boy from down the way that she grew up with, who teased her relentlessly, who pushed her into the creek when she was just five years old when she couldn't swim. People in school would always ask, "why aren't you together again?" and their reply would always be the same, "we're just friends, best friends". Meredith had never wanted anything more. Her life was a inescapable soap opera, there was always some waiting drama around every corner of her house and Derek was the only person she knew would always be there to save her, prevent her from crazy town. A relationship with him would inevitably ruin things, they would end up hating each other, the constant bickering over who dumped who! OH NO, Meredith was staying far away from that ordeal, besides she saw him more as a big brother.

"What will I do without you in New York?" Derek asked as he locked up the boat routinely. Derek had worked for Mr Kelman all summer, mostly fishing, his assistant really. He always had a thing for boats, he loved the rush you would get from the open water. Then again growing up on the Creek it was a little hard not to love the water. Yet while he loved sailing, Derek was always meant for bigger and brighter things. He had wanted to be a surgeon ever since his father died of an undiagnosed brain tumour. He had this romantic idea that he could save everyone from the tumour wrath. Of course Meredith thought he would never actually go through with moving to New York, he hated any kind of city, he was a town boy, always would be. Meredith on the other hand longed to get away from CapeView, her dream was to live away from the clutches of her mother. Ellis Grey had wanted Meredith to go to Dartmouth, but to study medicine, not education!

"You'll survive" Meredith scoffed "you won't have anyone to nag you every second"

"That's what I'm going to miss Grey" Derek laughed as he threw his arm around her and pulled her close "I mean who's going to remind me to shave…or to pay for dinner when I bring a girl on a date…who's going to insist I shower until I get this fishy smell off my hands?" he joked as he waved his fish-smelling hands up under her nose.

"Oh my god your so annoying" she whined hitting him playfully on the arm before wrapping her arms once again around his waist.

"No but seriously Grey…I'm going to miss you next year" Derek wasn't usually one to show his emotions but in that moment Meredith could see his sincerity.

"I'll miss you too" she assured softly "but hey it's not the end, we'll keep in touch, and I'm going to come visit you and your going to visit me right?"

There was a sudden silence in the air. They could hear the lapping water hit the dock, the locals bustling up at Denny's, the local bar. Meredith was now afraid of what was coming next. Derek sighed and brushed his fingers elegantly through his black wavy hair.

"Mer you know I will do anything I can to make sure we can see each other as much as possible but this medicine thing, it's going to be intense and I'm not really sure how much of a hold it's going to take you know?"

"No I know…I'm just saying we need to make sure it doesn't completely take over, at least one phone call a day?" she joked.

Derek laughed and pulled her even closer to him, he kissed her forehead and breathed her in, as if he was making a vivid memory of that very moment.

"It's a deal…but for now lets just enjoy what's left of our summer"


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Meredith woke to the familiar sound of her parents arguing. It was usually about the same thing - how Ellis was never home, how Thatcher was left to raise the girls by himself etc. Meredith wondered why her father even cared any more, both her and Lexie were old enough to look after themselves now being seventeen and nineteen. As Meredith shuffled beneath the covers, she stretched her arms far above her head and let out an audible yawn. The sun was streaming through her turquoise curtains and Meredith knew it must be around 8am - that was usually the time her mother came in from the night shift at the hospital.

"They're fighting again" Lexie huffed as she stumbled into Meredith's room in her purple silk p.j's

"I know" Meredith replied nonchalantly, her eyes remaining closed as she did her best to fall back into the abyss of sleep. Lexie pulled back the covers of the king-sized bed and snuggled in under them beside her big sister. She was like a child at the best of times and Meredith often felt that she was more of a mother to the girl than Ellis Grey ever was. Meredith loved her sister, she wasn't exactly the loveable type but little things like letting her sister crawl into her bed when their parents were fighting was something she would tolerate.

"Not that you care" Lexie continued "you're leaving in a few weeks for college"

Meredith could hear the disappointment and sheer resentment in her kid sister's voice, she **_was_** leaving, soon, and Lexie would have to grow up and fend for herself! Was she ready for that? Meredith adjusted her eyes to the rising brightness of the sun that was now illuminating the room with morning sunshine and sighed.

"You'll be okay kid...you only have one more year under their roof...under their rules...and then you'll be free too" Meredith now sat upright on the bed and wrapped her arms around her baby sister pulling her close "We're Grey's remember...we're fighters" Lexie snuggled in closer to her big sister. She felt safe, reassured!

"Thanks Mer...I'm going to miss you" she sighed.

Meredith smiled before kissing the top of her head and pulling herself out from beneath the covers to get herself dressed. She promised to meet Derek at Denny's for breakfast. Breakfast at Denny's was a Sunday morning tradition between the friends but Derek had now insisted that for the remainder of the summer they make it a Saturday tradition as well.

"I have to run Lex...I'm meeting Derek at Denny's" she explained as she threw on her white denim shorts with her favourite royal blue tank-top that said _ DARTMOUTH. _Derek had got it for her on a visit to New Hampshire the previous year. "You can come if you want" she added.

Lexie laughed and slipped down further into the bed.

"Yeah right...no way am I being the third wheel in that whole _"friendship"_ as you call it" she teased.

"There is nothing between me and Derek Lexie...he's been my best friend since pre-school, you know that" Meredith assured as she brushed through her golden hair in front of her vanity mirror "Why is everyone so sure there is something more?"

Lexie shot up in the bed and looked at her sister with disbelief. Lexie loved Derek and had always wanted him and Mer to be something more - the only two who had yet to realise their chemistry was in fact Derek and Meredith.

"Oh come on Meredith...you can't deny that Derek Shepherd is unbelievably HOT and has eyes only for you...I mean he's never had a girlfriend before...a man that fine should have had hundreds of girlfriends"

"He just has no interest in girls Lex...he's focused on his future and getting there first...I actually admire him for that"

"If you say so" Lexie sneered and threw herself back down under the covers. Meredith sighed and grabbed her purse from beneath the pile of clothes on her beanbag in the corner of the room and went to meet her friend "See you later".

When Meredith reached Denny's it was busy, really busy, but then again it was a Saturday morning. Denny's was like an institute for the town of CapeView, everyone ate here - it was a place that held a lot of memories for the locals and for Meredith and Derek. It's close proximity to the harbour, the Picturehouse cinema and the arcade made it an appropriate teenage hangout over the years.

"Morning Denny" Meredith smiled as she entered the cafe. Denny was Thatcher's best friend and in some ways a second father figure for Meredith and Lexie. He was also Derek's uncle and the only male figure Derek had to look up to since his father died.

Walking through the cafe, Meredith noticed that her and Derek's regular booth was empty which was strange considering she was always last to arrive.

"Where is he?" she asked looking confusingly at Denny who was standing behind the counter wiping the glasses that had just been removed from the dishwasher.

"He's on the boat" Denny replied pointing out towards the harbour "he asked me to send you down once you got here"

"Seriously! The boat?" Meredith whined "Thanks Den"

She left the cafe, the cool morning crisp air hitting her the moment she opened the swinging door. She stood on the decking and could see Derek moving around the deck of the boat _The Bounty. _Making her way down she couldn't help but feel a little sadness taking over. She would miss Denny's, she would miss seeing Derek working on the boat while she lay out on it's deck taking in the sun while Derek teased her relentlessly and gave her lectures on the dangers of skin cancer. It was going to be hard saying goodbye to her friend of fifteen years while they both went of in pursuit of their dreams.

"Dr. Shepherd" she called hoping he would enjoy hearing the name he would one day be addressed as.

Derek had his back to her and smiled. He relished in the sound of hearing her address him as Doctor.

"Miss Grey...you're here?...late as usual" He teased turning around to greet her.

"Permission to come aboard?" She asked holding out her hand for him to receive and assist her on.

"Permission granted" He pulled her onto the boat effortlessly. She was so tiny, so light and elegant he thought. "I thought we could have breakfast on the boat?"

Meredith knew Derek was happiest when he was on his boat, well it wasn't exactly his boat but he looked after it so well it might as well be. Leaving for school soon in NY meant that Derek would have to surrender his love for boats and the open water, trading them in for medical books instead. It would be a while before he sailed again, Meredith knew this, so any excuse to use the boat while he still could meant Meredith was indeed going to have to eat breakfast on the boat and not in Denny's.

"Sounds good" she lied peeping into the picnic basket Derek had brought "I take it Denny made all this up for you"

Derek set up his fishing rod towards the back of the boat while Meredith threw down the fleece blanket that was tucked away below deck. It was only 10am but still the sun's rays were producing vast quantities of muggy heat all over the Creek. The smell of seaweed could be smelt which turned Meredith's stomach. Even living by water Meredith still found it difficult to get use to that overbearing smell, especially while she ate. But she would grin and bare it for Derek.

"Of course he did...you're never that gullible to believe that I made it" he laughed launching himself onto the blanket beside her. "Look I made him pack your favourite...cinnamon and raisin bagels with cream cheese" he thrilled as he lay them out onto a plate infront of her "Coffee?"

"Please" she thanked holding out one of the thermo flasks "God I'm going to miss this...our weekend breakfasts at Denny's...watching you attempt to fish" she teased taking a long swig of the deliciously hot coffee.

"Hey...I can fish...remember that salmon I caught when I was ten?" He boasted now pouring himself some coffee while Meredith spread the soft cream cheese over her bagel.

"Derek...your dad bought that salmon at the fish monger's and tied it to the end of your fishing pole when your weren't looking...I saw the whole thing" she mused before taking a clean bite of her bagel.

"Yeah but still..." Derek would never admit it but that was the proudest moment of his life...pretending to "catch" that fish.

The pair reminisced on fond memories of their childhood on the Creek - the good, the bad, the plain ugly. It was a childhood that was bettered just from spending it with each other. Meredith would never admit just how much she would miss her friend, the long distance that would be between them next year scared her more than anything.

"My parents were fighting again this morning" Meredith stated trying to banish the thought of leaving Derek in just a few short weeks to the back of her mind "I really don't know why he just doesn't leave her...do us all a favour!"

He was all too familiar with Meredith's parent's troubled marriage and he knew it affected her more than she would ever admit to. Meredith hadn't the easiest of childhoods, her or Lexie. Thatcher and Ellis were a complicated duo and never really belonged together. It amazed him how such a marriage had survived for so long - was it for the sake of the girls?

"I think they just tolerate each other for mine and Lexie's sake but I'd prefer if they just ended this joke of a marriage" Meredith continued while Derek just listened. "Relationships and children just don't mix, I mean they are hard enough to make work without throwing a child into the warfield...that's why I think keep children and relationships separate"

Derek loved it when Meredith rambled, he found it charming, endearing!

"So who would you have kids with then?" he asked quizzically "If not with your partner than with who? Isn't that what marriage is suppose to be about...sharing a life with another person, making a family, a home?"

Derek was a big family man. He had four sisters and while each were challenging he loved them all and couldn't imagine being without any of them. Meredith knew he wanted a family some day, a wife, the big house and the devoted Labrador, she on the other hand was a more unconventional type of person who didn't believe in marriage - mostly because she hadn't exactly the best role models.

"Personally I would rather have a child with a stranger, an acquaintance who I can raise them with without the pressures of a relationship...just keep them separate" she explained.

"But how can you keep them separate...either way the person you are in a relationship with will ultimately have to have a relationship with your child too" Derek argued. He could never understand some of Meredith's well thought out ideas on life.

Meredith could see he was getting aggravated now.

"Well obviously but big decisions regarding your child would be made in collaboration with the baby daddy rather than your parner, hence there would be no added strain on your own relationship with your partner" she riddled convincingly and Derek found himself getting a rather painful migraine towards the front of his forehead.

"Grey your impossibly complicated...no seriously I think you are on a whole other level of fucked up!" Derek teased poking her playfully in the stomach. Meredith laughed returning the gesture before collapsing comfortably into his strong arms.

"God help the man who ends up with you that's all I'll say" he laughed squeezing her tight while she sniggered in agreement.


End file.
